’Breaking’ or ’breakdancing’ debuts at Paris Olympics: The dance-off sport and the science behind — A quick guide

Breaking marked a debut at the Olympics around 7:30 pm on Friday. Wondering what this 'Breaking' is exactly? In simple words, it's breakdance. Breakdancing is professionally known as Breaking. At the games on Friday, dancers will be seen twisting, spinning, and seemingly defying gravity as they show their moves in a one-on-one battle to win a medal on August 10.

"It is a sport that combines dance and athletic movement requiring balance, strength and flexibility," a video shared by the Paris Olympics explained while describing this new sport.

Breaking is a one-on-one battle in which athletes are judged on their dance moves. It's "an urban dance style" that began in New York as one of the pillars of hip-hop culture. It will mow make its Olympic debut at Paris Games 2024.

It will be held at the Place de la Concorde, the largest public square in the city.

Why is Breaking an Olympic sport?

According to the Olympics website, the International Olympic Committee has recently added skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing to the Games as part of an effort to including sports that are popular and cater to all age groups. "Breaking absolutely fits with this trend," it says.

This is the first time Breaking has been added as a sport in an Olympic Games. Breaking had first featured at the Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in 2018. "Following its outstanding success at the Games in Argentina, breaking was added to the Paris 2024 Olympic programme as a new sport," Paris Olympics website says.

The sport was officially added to the Olympic program on December 7, 2021. As of now, breaking is not scheduled to be included on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic program.

Breaking different from Breakdancing?

The original B-Boys and B-Girls used the word “Breaking” as an ode to the nature of the dancing, which originally happened in between the breaks of a DJ track. Breakdancing is the more commonly known term.

Breaking: What the game involves

Two events have been dedicated to Breaking -- one for women called B-Girls and another for men known as B-boys. The breaking competition will witness face-off between 16 B-Boys and 16 B-Girls in spectacular solo battles.

As per the details shared by the Paris Olympics official website, athletes will use a combination of power moves — including windmills, the 6-step, and freezes — "as they adapt their style and improvise to the beat of the DJ's tracks in a bid to secure the judges' votes and take home the first Olympic breaking medals".

'Breaking' dance moves explained

Breaking involves many different moves, such as top and down rocks. 'Top rock' is when the athlete is dancing while standing. It's usually how they start the routine before going down to the floor. The other move, "down rock" refers to moves performed on the floor, with hands supporting the athletes as much as the feet.

Athletes often perform a mix of leg sweeps, swings and kicks, as well as 360-degree spins. Numerous fast spins in succession is known as a power move, in which the athletes' feet rarely touch the ground. The opposite of a power move is said to be a "freeze" – where dancers stop completely during a routine.

The physics behind 'freezing'

As one's going to witness a lot of dancers "freezing" at the Paris Olympics, here's the science behind the move and understanding how dancers do that!

The National Geographic explained a part of physics that helps break-dancers to freeze in between their set.

In a short video, Nat Geo explained, "The key to maintaining that balance is having our centre of mass over a source of support. So, in order to hold the freeze position, breakers have to make sure that their centre of mass is located over an area of support on the ground."

"This is why so many of the freeze positions that are seen have a hand, elbow, or even a head down on the floor. It sets up a triangle that acts as a wide base of support, which allows the breakers to move their limbs and bodies around in different directions," the video explained with illustrations.

When and where to watch 'Breaking' dance-off?

'Breaking at the Summer Olympics schedule and results: The first medal event for 'Breaking' will be held around 6:19 am (IST) on August 10. Before this, the first match of B-Girls pre-qualifier battle will begin at 7:30 pm on August 9. Click here for full schedule of Breaking on August 9 and 10 at Paris Olympics.

One can watch the match on JioCinema.

Who is competing in Breaking Olympics 2024?

The two-day Breaking competition “defies the stereotypes that it is an all American sport” – with competitors from over 10 countries including China, India, Ukraine, Japan, the Netherlands and South Korea participating in the new sports.